If I’m talking to an English speaker from outside of the US, is there any confusion if I say “soccer”?

For example, when I was in college a friend asked for a “torch”. I was confused for quite some time, because I didn’t know it was another word for “flashlight”. Does the same thing happen with the word “soccer”? Should I clarify by saying, “…or football”?

Thank you!

  • Delphia@lemmy.world
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    11 months ago

    In Australia we have Soccer, Aussie rules football (AFL), Rugby Union (Union) and Rugby league (Usually referred to as “League” or “NRL”) all of them also known as “Football”

    I have a pretty deep burning hatred for people who insist on correcting people when they say Soccer. It honestly just makes you look like a twat “yOu mEaN wHaT tHe rEsT oF thE WoRld CalLs foOTbALl!?!” Like you fucking understood well enough to know this was your moment to open your cockholster and needlessly add that little tidbit like anyone else was confused.

  • hactar42@lemmy.world
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    11 months ago

    I’m an American who lived in England for a couple of years. Due to American media the majority of everyone understood what I meant when I said things like soccer, trunk or hood of a car, fries, etc. Words with different meanings between the two could get confusing like biscuit, chips, or pissed.

    Since soccer doesn’t have another meaning I never ran into someone who didn’t know what I was talking about. However, when saying football in an American accent some thought I was referring to American Football by default.

    I can only remember one instant where someone did not know what I was talking about. That was when I asked someone at work where the dumpster was and I got a blank stare. I explained, the big metal thing outside for trash and they were like, “oh the skip”